We are thrilled to be releasing an exclusive excerpt for Joan F. Smith’s debut novel The Half-Orphan’s Handbook. Releasing on April 20th 2021, this novel is a coming-of-age story and an empathetic, authentic exploration of grief with a sharp sense of humour and a big heart, which makes it perfect fans of John Green and Emily X.R. Pan.
Joan, who lost her own father to suicide, is dedicated to destigmatizing conversations about mental health and families who’ve lost a loved one to suicide—and has written about these topics in The Washington Post, Thought Catalog, and more. Her commitment to providing safe spaces for these conversations is vitally important, as intentional self-harm is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States (per the CDC National Center for Health Statistics). As well, the story presents the unique setting of a literal grief camp, exploring the idea of space playing a role in the healing process.
The Half Orphan’s Handbook is now available for pre-order and you can read on to discover the synopsis and excerpt!
SYNOPSIS
It’s been three months since Lila lost her father to suicide. Since then, she’s learned to protect herself from pain by following two unbreakable rules:
1. The only people who can truly hurt you are the ones you love. Therefore, love no one.
2. Stay away from liars. Liars are the worst.
But when Lila’s mother sends her to a summer-long grief camp, it’s suddenly harder for Lila to follow these rules. Potential new friends and an unexpected crush threaten to drag her back into life for the first time since her dad’s death.
On top of everything, there’s more about what happened that Lila doesn’t know, and facing the truth about her family will be the hardest part of learning how a broken heart can love again.
EXCERPT
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